In a world where climate emergencies are being declared daily, why do so many of our city streets and public transport networks have misleading ads for the very industries driving the crisis?

Our conversation with two C40 experts reveals how the fossil fuel industry mirrors old tobacco industry tactics using sophisticated techniques to "greenwash" their image and frame essential health protections as attacks on free speech. Tune in to learn how cities reclaiming the narratives in our transit systems and urban squares is a vital step toward fending off industry attacks and securing a safer, more sustainable future for all.

Featured guests:

Mariana Batista, C40 Senior Manager, Public Transport

Charlie Worthington, C40 Project Officer, High Carbon Advertising Bans

Links:

The War Against Tobacco: 50 Years and Counting - National Library of Medicine

How the Fossil Fuel Industry Polluted the Information Landscape - Center for Climate Change Communication

Air pollution from fossil fuels kills 5 million people a year - The Guardian

In The Hague, ban on Big Oil ads survives legal challenge - Courthouse News

Profitable Growth Without Fossil Fuels - Clean Creatives

Frequently Asked Questions - A World Without Fossil Fuel Ads

Declaration on Information Integrity on Climate Change - UNESCO

Cities Climate Transition Framework - C40 Knowledge Hub

Clearing the way: A toolkit for positive, fossil-free city advertising - C40 Knowledge Hub

How cities can restrict carbon-intensive advertising - C40 Knowledge Hub

If you want to learn more about the Journal of City Climate Policy and Economy, please visit our website at https://jccpe.utpjournals.press/

Listen to the Cities 1.5 five-part miniseries “Going Steady with Herman Daly: How to Unbreak the Economy (and the Planet)" here: https://lnk.to/HDMiniSeries

Cities 1.5 is produced by the University of Toronto Press and the C40 Centre, and is supported by C40 Cities. Sign up to the Centre newsletter: https://thecentre.substack.com/

Writing and executive production by Peggy Whitfield.

Narrative and communications support by Chiara Morfeo.

Produced by Jess Schmidt: https://jessdoespodcasting.com/

Edited by Morgane Chambrin: https://www.morganechambrin.com/

Music by Lorna Gilfedder: https://origamipodcastservices.com/

Hot Take: the climate crisis isn’t some abstract data point or a dry policy debate, it’s a deeply human story of survival. Right now, a whole generation is growing up inside the emergency, doing the heavy lifting to fix a mess they didn't create.

In this episode, we’re ditching the script to bring you the raw, human heartbeat of the movement and amplifying the voices that stole the show at the World Mayor’s Summit in Rio. Through a powerful spoken word piece, youth climate leaders from London to Freetown share their stories, ambitions, and dreams. The C40 Youth Hub members dive into what real intergenerational collaboration looks like when those with the biggest stake in the future are finally the ones leading the change.

Youth Moment featured leaders:

Juliet Oluoch, Research fellow at Ufanisi Research Network

Anjali Raman-Middleton, Co-founder and Director at Choked Up

Esther Kamara, Founder of the Youth Initiative For Climate Action Sierra Leone

Foday Kamara, National Coordinator at the Youth Climate Council Global Alliance

Letícia Mathias, Instituto SustentAção

Micheala Chan

Featured interview guest:

Earl Aldrin Burgos. C40 Youth Engagement and Campaigns Manager

Links:

World Mayors Summit special - Cities 1.5

US cities as climate first responders - Cities 1.5

C40 Youth Moment - YouTube

Youth Hub - C40

Youth Engagement Playbook for Cities - C40

Loss and Damage: Challenges and Opportunities for City Leadership

If you want to learn more about the Journal of City Climate Policy and Economy, please visit our website at https://jccpe.utpjournals.press/

Listen to the Cities 1.5 five-part miniseries “Going Steady with Herman Daly: How to Unbreak the Economy (and the Planet)" here: https://lnk.to/HDMiniSeries

Cities 1.5 is produced by the University of Toronto Press and the C40 Centre, and is supported by C40 Cities. Sign up to the Centre newsletter: https://thecentre.substack.com/

Writing and executive production by Peggy Whitfield.

Narrative and communications support by Chiara Morfeo.

Produced by Jess Schmidt: https://jessdoespodcasting.com/

Edited by Morgane Chambrin: https://www.morganechambrin.com/

Music by Lorna Gilfedder: https://origamipodcastservices.com/

What would you risk to tell the truth, if the institution you served was one of the most powerful corporations on Earth?

Early scientific warnings about global heating have long stood in tension with corporate narratives shaping public understanding. This episode examines the enduring disinformation created and disseminated by the fossil fuel industry: how it evolves, why it persists, and what it means for the pace of climate action. Through the perspective of a former insider at ExxonMobil, we explore the widening gap between the disinformation narratives pumped out by fossil fuel companies and the personal consequences of challenging one of the most powerful corporations in modern history.

Featured guest:

Lindsey Gulden, Principal Data Scientist at Leg Up Data and former employee at ExxonMobil

Audio sources:

Oil giant ExxonMobil predicted climate change in 1970s - BBC News

Exxon CEO and Chairman of the American Petroleum Institute Lee Raymond speech (1996) - CPAN

WSJ: SEC probes Exxon after whistleblower complaint - CNBC

Links:

New study in 'Science' puts a number on what Exxon knew decades ago about climate change - Potsdam Institute

How a Newton woman became an enemy of ExxonMobil - The Boston Globe

Tracing Big Oil’s PR war to delay action on climate change - The Harvard Gazette

Carbon Capture and Storage: The Billion Dollar Scam - Environmental Defence

Trump says he might keep Exxon out of Venezuela - Reuters

Countering Climate Disinformation - C40 Cities

Disinformation episodes - Cities 1.5

If you want to learn more about the Journal of City Climate Policy and Economy, please visit our website at https://jccpe.utpjournals.press/

Listen to the Cities 1.5 five-part miniseries “Going Steady with Herman Daly: How to Unbreak the Economy (and the Planet)" here: https://lnk.to/HDMiniSeries

Cities 1.5 is produced by the University of Toronto Press and the C40 Centre, and is supported by C40 Cities. Sign up to the Centre newsletter: https://thecentre.substack.com/

Writing and executive production by Peggy Whitfield.

Narrative and communications support by Chiara Morfeo.

Produced by Jess Schmidt: https://jessdoespodcasting.com/

Edited by Morgane Chambrin: https://www.morganechambrin.com/

Music by Lorna Gilfedder: https://origamipodcastservices.com/